End of May

This week for my floral design class we made boutonnières and corsages. We get extra credit if we wear them out in public and/or give them to people. Jon was a good sport for our date night and wore a boutonnière:





We also got the waiter to wear Jon's and keep it on the rest of the night.

On Sunday the weather was clear and nice, so we went on a walk past the Provo library. I think this building is so pretty... and the sky looks perfect.



And then to pump ourselves up for the next few weeks we made our JUNE calendar. I seriously couldn't be more excited- so many good things to come!



Only one full week of classes left. Wow. We can't wait for our classes to be over, to go to James and Jessica's WEDDING and then to move back to California! We don't really know what we will be doing for the summer yet, but we are looking forward to family, beach time, yummy fruit, HAWAII in July, and sun sun sun.

We are happy to have today off from classes, but Jon has still been working hard. For my floral class we were given an assignment to go to the local cemetery and look at all the flowers. Our teacher said people go all out on Memorial Day in Utah County- she really wasn't kidding. It is not only for veterans but nearly everyone who has died, it is a total celebration of life. It was really amazing to see such a community effort to celebrate Memorial day. I am really glad I got to see this- it really helps me remember what this holiday is all about.

This is only one small section of the cemetery, it goes on and on with flowers:



There were so many beautiful decorations and floral arrangements:





My favorite were the Tongan decorations. It looks like they put forth so much effort for these grave sites, it was really beautiful:





We are going to go the gym and get a movie for the evening. Back to work in the morning! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.

Want to see inside the temple?

I had to share this because I think it is so neat. As you may know, the LDS temple is extremely sacred to members. It is a place of serious worship and a place where you can recommit to God.

The Salt Lake City temple has opened a new exhibit in their visitors center where they have built a replica of the temple. You can see inside each of the rooms, view the details, and get a sense of the inner beauty. It is a great opportunity for those wondering about the temple, but who are not able to go inside.

See pictures of the exhibit and of the inner rooms here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700035839/Mormon-Church-shows-inside-view-of-Salt-Lake-Temple-through-new-exhibit.html

(Click on the gallery photos to the right of the article)

I just really love this exhibit because it is the best way for me to share with others how beautiful and sacred the temple really is. The most important events of my life (being sealed to my family, sealed to Jon) and some of the most powerful spiritual experiences I have ever had have been in the temple. I hope the pictures can give others an idea of how important the temple is to me.

*Whew* I cannot believe another week has flown by. This term has been a bit of a roller coaster for Jon and I- I think it is hard to get into a new routine so rapidly and yet for so short a time. Here is what has been going on recently at our house...

-Jon is still studying like a mad man. He has been saying that after he finishes this course he is pretty sure he can do just about anything. I think he is right- if this is any indication of how medical school might be some day, I think he will be very successful.

-Jon quit his early-morning job today because of the demands of his school work. With only four more weeks to go, we are set financially. School has always been our number one priority. We are pretty lucky we have been able to work and go to school successfully until now.
I am happy for Jon. And I am happy for me. I know it doesn't mean we will be spending tons of time together now, but I am looking forward to small luxuries. Like being able to go to bed at the same time, and waking up at the same time, and having the evenings together. Yay.

-I finished my pajama pants for my sewing class. They are pretty simple, but they are done! It really feels like an accomplishment. I didn't get an awesome grade on them, but I don't care, they're still pajama pants to me!



-This is the latest floral arrangement I made. This class is much easier for me, I really enjoy arranging flowers and the basic elements of design that make them look nice.



I loved watching the tulips open- they are so beautiful and vibrant!



I would say there is not much going on, but that isn't really true.
Things have been sort of crazy around here, especially today.

For the sake of journaling, I want to document what Jon and my day looked like:

**NOTE: The testing center is a building on campus where people can go take exams during times that work for them. It is basically one large room with lots of chairs. This is necessary to really appreciate what Jon and my day was like.

May 24, 2010

4:30am Jon goes to work.
7:30am I wake up, study, go to class.
8:00am Jon starts classes.
9:00-1:00pm I'm in class.
1:00-1:45pm we are both studying but in different places and don't know it.
2:00pm I go to the testing center to take an exam, Jon closely follows, but we don't see each other.
3:00pm I talk to my mom.
3:45pm I fall asleep...oops
Jon is still taking a test. I don't hear from him.
5:30pm I wake up and realize I have to go take another exam RIGHT NOW, because the testing center closes at 7pm.
5:45pm I am in the testing center, but once again do not see Jon.
6:30pm I am done with my second exam of they day and call Jon to see where he is. In the time I turned off my phone and went into the testing center, he had finished and left (his exam took 4 hours). He is at home.
6:35-6:50pm Jon and I say hi, talk about our days, I drive Jon back to campus so that we can talk longer.
7:00-9:00pm Jon is in a review session for his organic chemistry test.
9:00-10:00pm I am at the gym for the power pump class.
10:15pm I go say goodnight to Jon who is sleeping. He tells me I smell like the gym. I laugh. Its been a long day.

Bottom line: I am not sad about Jon quiting his job. Not sad at all.

Mid May

We are almost half way through spring term. It is flying by, and we have no problem with that. Jon is working constantly on organic chemistry homework and labs. He is also putting significant effort into studying each chapter and is attempting to stay about half a chapter ahead of the class to ensure he is learning everything correctly. He is counting down the days until this class is over. I have to admit, so am I! Jon has said he has found some joy in the class and he finds it interesting. It may not come as naturally to him as biology or physics, but he can work to comprehend it. It is probably a good lesson for future schooling- something to get used to.

My classes are moving along as well. Floral design is fun and I am enjoying the class and lab. Each week we get to make a new design- so we constantly have flowers in our home. I love it and have a new appreciation for flowers.





As for sewing, I am working hard and staying positive, but the class is quite difficult. I feel that most of the girls are ahead of me since they already have sewn quite a bit. When I don't think about the grades I am getting on things, I really enjoy sewing. I turn in my first project, pajama pants, this week. I will post pictures once I have them back. I am also working on a skirt that will be due next week.

This past weekend Jon and I helped in a ward service project, slept quite a bit, ran errands, enjoyed the good weather and caught up on our work. We are looking forward to the end of the term, James and Jessica's wedding, going back to Santa Barbara and the Hawaii cruise we will be taking with the family in July. It is nice to know there are so many good things coming our way this summer.

Happy Mother's Day

Jon and I are lucky to have two wonderful mothers who care for us. When we were friends back in high school we used to talk about our families and I would say how great my mom was, and Jon would say how wonderful his mom was. We would playfully "fight" over who had the best mom. I remained quietly impressed that Jon was so kind and respectful toward his mom. Moms, Jon and I love you! You are the very best moms we could have. Thank you for all of your love and support, and for accepting both of us into your families.

Since both of you are far away, we did the best we could to send you flowers:






Have a wonderful day, enjoy your flowers, and thanks for being our moms!

Two Years Ago, Today...

I made the best decision I've ever made.

I feel so lucky to be married to Jon. He is honest, loyal, hard working and my best friend. We've got it good, and we know it.

To celebrate I made us a delicious dinner. Yum.


Pasta in a roasted bell-pepper sauce, with chicken, salad, and French bread.


We got a little creative with dessert. As we so like to do. We made these little chocolate cups by dipping balloons in melted chocolate, it looks a little weird in this picture but this is part of the process...


All hardened and done.


And then we put in a homemade chocolate mousse. Both of these are from the Ghirardelli chocolate cookbook we bought in San Fran last summer.
Too much chocolate, you say? No, not to us.


We had a relaxing evening cooking together. It was just what we needed this weekend and a lovely reminder of what matters in this life. And for many years to come.